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Black Rice, White Sauce

by:
February  8, 2010
4
4 Ratings
  • Serves 4
Author Notes

I was lucky enough to live next to a Malaysian grandmother who made an authentic version of this black rice porridge. It is simple to make, but complex in flavor, texture, as well as striking in color. It's worth the effort to hunt down these ingredients. I've tried to substitute and it just ain't worth it after you've had the real thing. My version adds some crunch from shaved coconut and toasted almonds. —monkeymom

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Ingredients
  • Black Rice
  • 1 cup Black Rice (also known as Forbidden Rice)
  • 3 -4 cups water
  • 1 golf ball size piece of palm sugar (can use 3-4 Tbsp brown sugar)
  • White Coconut Sauce
  • 1/3 cup lite coconut milk
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon sugar
  • shaved unsweetened coconut (untoasted)
  • toasted sliced blanched almonds
Directions
  1. Black Rice
  2. Bring rice and 3 cups water to a boil. Simmer for 30-45 minutes with top off of pot. The water will become deep purple/black.
  3. When almost all liquid has absorbed, check rice for doneness. It should have a little chew to it, but not too much. Think risotto.
  4. Add palm sugar and another 1/2 cup water. Bring to boil to dissolve sugar. The mixture should become glossy and thick.
  5. Once the sugar has dissolved, taste. Add more sugar if necessary (should be very sweet).
  6. Turn off stove and cover pot. Wait at least 15 minutes.
  1. White Coconut Sauce
  2. Mix coconut milk, salt, and sugar. The saltiness of this topping goes great with the sugary porridge.
  3. Check porridge - taste for your desired level of sweetness and thickness. Adjust with more sugar or water if needed.
  4. Spoon porridge into small bowl. Add white coconut sauce and sprinkle with almonds and shaved coconut.
  5. Add more sauce and crunchy things as you eat.
  6. This can be eaten hot or cold, for dessert or breakfast.
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Recipe by: monkeymom

My favorite distraction is to cook. Though science and cooking/baking have a lot in common, I'm finding that each allows me to enjoy very different parts of my life. Cooking connects me with my heritage, my family, friends, and community. I'm really enjoying learning from the food52 community, who expose me to different ingredients and new ways to cook.

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17 Reviews

Write a Review
Sagegreen October 27, 2010
Love forbidden rice!
monkeymom October 27, 2010
Isn't that the coolest name?
QueenOfGreen October 27, 2010
Dessert tonight! Thanks! (Although I admit, and went and threw all caution to the wind and toasted my coconut too.)
monkeymom October 27, 2010
Hi QueenofGreen! I really dig the very slightly salty sauce and crunchy nuts and coconut, I hope you like it too!
solmstea April 7, 2010
This is one of my favorite dishes. You can also try it with Thai black glutinous rice (I usually do half black glutinous rice and half sweet mochi rice). But I think it would also be good with wild rice! You'd just have to be sure not to cook it so long that splits apart. The nicest thing about this dish is bursting through the skin of the black rice to the soft interior.
monkeymom April 13, 2010
I love it too. It would definitely be interesting to try it with wild rice!
BadgerBakery February 11, 2010
Just tried it, on a wintry DC day with about 3 feet of snow outside, getting ready to shovel. Cooked the rice last night and re-heated in the microwave this morning. The rice is a nice texture, good contrast with the crunchie toppings (I toasted the coconut too, contrary to instructions.) A little sweet for me--could work equally well as dessert. Nice change from oatmeal.
monkeymom February 11, 2010
I'm so glad you tried it...I hope it had enough omph to get you through your shoveling. I love your badger logo!
mrslarkin February 10, 2010
Yum. I'm going to look for black rice next time I'm at the Asian Supermarket.
lastnightsdinner February 10, 2010
Wow, beautiful!
SaySchwartzAndBeSure February 9, 2010
It looks like black long grain sticky rice. We call it Thai rice. You soak it for 4 hours in water, drain, add just enough boiling water to cover and steam over med. heat for 30 min
This is the only Black rice I know of. Is it the same?
monkeymom February 10, 2010
Hi there! The packaging on my rice says "Black Rice" (purchased at a Korean grocery store) and "Chinese Black Rice" (purchased at a fancy gourmet food store). I've also seen Forbidden Rice at Whole Foods. I haven't tried the Thai Rice but would think it would be very close and delicious as well. I love the Thai Sticky Rice with Mango...yum.
Holly February 10, 2010
Mmmmmmmm...sticky rice with mango. Yum!
Holly February 9, 2010
This is gorgeous. I highly doubt I can get black/forbidden rice where I live...I wonder if it would be good with wild rice?
monkeymom February 10, 2010
Hi Zahirah. It would be worth a try...and I'll bet it would still be very tasty. I'd suggest maybe mixing the wild rice with sweet rice (glutinous rice, the really fat short grain type?). It might help give it the starchy goo that I don't typically associate with wild rice.
Holly February 10, 2010
I'll have to make a trip to Chinatown next week and see what I can find. That's the only place in Buenos Aires I can imagine finding it. Can't wait!
lastnightsdinner February 10, 2010
Zahirah, I've had luck finding black rice at Italian markets, so that's another source you might try.